Basketball Coaching and Finding Learning Opportunities
Basketball Coaching is a professional with a global presence. There are a large number of professional, semi-professional, and amateur basketball competitions around the world. These basketball competitions range from the youngest of competitors to and veterans of the sport. Basketball coaching in all of these contexts can provide a very challenging role that requires ongoing development and support.
To get the most out your basketball coaching one very important activity will be your ability to find Learning Opportunities. Learning opportunities or professional development when basketball coaching helps a coach focus on the craft of coaching, and not just coaching itself. This is a very important distinction and one that all coaches should be aware of. Focusing on the craft or art of basketball coaching helps you push your knowledge and skill boundaries. This type of activity increases your understanding on how to do things and become a more knowledgeable coach in general. Focusing on basketball coaching is important as well but provides a different end result. When focusing on the skill of basketball coaching the focus is on competency.
So as a basketball coach, where can you go to find out about these possible opportunities for knowledge and skill development?
Learning opportunities come in a variety of shapes and forms and when basketball coaching it is important to be as open as possible to different sources so you can gain from a variety of perspectives and experiences. Some of these opportunities may include:
Accreditation and Certification Courses: most governing bodies within the sport of basketball will offer some structure to manage the accreditation and certification of basketball coaches. These courses are often a very good place to start your education. These courses usually have a variety of different levels that grow in complexity and detail the further your progress along them.
Workshops: many schools, colleges, clubs, associations, and other institutions involved in basketball sometimes provide workshops on a wide selection of topics. These can be very useful in helping to identify a number of different areas as a coach you might not have been aware of or supplement your knowledge as an experienced coach to help round off the final point in your philosophy.
Training Camps: these tend to come in a wide variety of different themes and formats. However, training camps provide a great opportunity for coaches to put skills into practice on the court. Volunteering for these opportunities can be a very accessible way of gain guidance from senior coaches. Alternatively, if you are a senior coach then training camps can be a valuable opportunity to pass on your knowledge about basketball coaching to others and perfect some presentation or instruction skills when working with other coaches.
Books: a quick search on any number of internet based book and text based stores will throw up a wealth of resources to buy.
Video/DVD: many workshops and camps have film footage recorded and compiled. These resources can be brought and sourced for free across the internet. This is a fantastic option for this coaches who are isolated or regionally based.
Internet Research: basketball being a global sport means there is a wide variety of resources (like the Functional Basketball Coaching website) at a coach’s disposal. Taking some time to sift through the wealth of information on the internet is a skill in itself, but just because there is a lot of information does not mean a basketball coach should give up on researching. Just be clear on what you want to find.
Youtube: a fantastic resource for finding multi-media presentations on all things basketball. A quick search on a variety of topics will provide some specific and possibly relevant searches results.
Spending time becoming a better coach should be a way of life. Becoming a student of the game is a vital mindset in becoming an ever-improving basketball coach. Taking the time to perfect the art of basketball coaching will help with your confidence and motivation to continue coaching and become the best possible coach you can be.
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Coach Riches has been working within the sport, business and education industries for many years. During this time he has built an extensive number of formal and informal qualifications. A firm believer in training and development designed to help people reach their full potential, relevant o their needs and functional to their industry environment.